Profits

So, here’s a clever way to bolster an insurance company’s annual profit report: Charge physicians to access claims payment data. Sound crazy? Well, that’s what UnitedHealthcare was doing, until recently, through its… Read More

Earlier this year, UnitedHealth Group’s Optum subsidiary bought itself a present: the data analytics firm Change Healthcare, which is a massive administrative network that processes claims and pharmacy requests for physicians and… Read More

We’ve often wondered where the biggest healthcare sinkhole is when it comes to lost revenue due to administrative hassles. Until now, our guess was the drain on physicians’ and hospitals’ time spent… Read More

We’ve all played three-card monte, right? Three cards face down; pick the queen and win the green. Why is this game so successful? Because the marks (the suckers who step up to… Read More

We’ve recently shared a string of examples, from insurers dodging reimbursement for kids’ COVID-19 tests to insurance giant Cigna being sued into covering tests. Now the issue has reached the point where the… Read More

The article was based on consulting firm BDO’s recently released Health Insurance Executive Insights Report, which covers compensation for executives and senior managers at health insurance companies, including UnitedHealth Group. According to… Read More

The RAND Corporation released an Impact of Policy Options for Reducing Hospital Prices Paid by Private Health Plans “study” that claims to have found upwards of $62 billion in potential healthcare savings—if… Read More

We’ve said it before: One man’s pandemic is another man’s windfall. Especially when that “man” is UnitedHealth Group, which appears to be taking the profits it’s piled up during the COVID-19 pandemic… Read More

Anthem recently reported $551 million in 2020 Q4 profits, a drop of 41% compared to the $943 million the insurer reported in Q4 of 2019. While at first glance, 41% may appear… Read More

It is no secret that 2020 was a good—no, make that great—year for UnitedHealth Group. As we covered previously, even a “bad” quarter for this company was still leaps and bounds ahead… Read More

In October of 2020, we covered a story about health insurers rolling back coverage for telehealth services, right as demand was skyrocketing due to COVID-19. During the pandemic, virtual visits have been… Read More

According to RevCycle Intelligence, a new survey of 200 hospitals conducted by the American Hospital Association (AHA)—and supplemented by interviews and group discussions with several hundred additional hospital and health system executives—found… Read More

Here’s a trend we saw in 2020 and will likely continue to see in 2021: UnitedHealthcare forcing providers to choose between accepting dramatic pay cuts or being cut out of United’s network.… Read More

Like most employers, the City of Philadelphia, MS, will be seeing the cost of health insurance for its employers increase next year. What’s unique about this story, however, is how clearly it… Read More

When Sam Bloechl was buying a comprehensive health plan, one he believed would cover him for a life-threatening illness; he did not know he was sick. A subsequent cancer diagnosis led doctors… Read More

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many industries to pivot. The entertainment industry has taken to Zoom and other virtual formats to continue providing “live” shows. The restaurant industry has shifted to takeout,… Read More

It’s been well documented that insurers have profited from a drop in care utilization during the pandemic, while providers experienced a sharp drop in revenue with many elective procedures being postponed or… Read More

Health insurance has always been a highly valued employee benefit, and now in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more true. Access to healthcare, including access to health insurance… Read More

Residents of Gaston County with UnitedHealthcare insurance are expected to face higher costs at Gaston County’s only hospital, CaroMont Regional Medical Center. This is due to UnitedHealthcare terminating their CaroMont Health contract.… Read More

It’s not uncommon for health insurance executives’ massive annual compensation packages to make the news, and 2019 was no exception. Last year, six health insurance CEOs received an excess of $15 million… Read More

Many articles that call attention to insurers’ huge profits during the pandemic have singled out UnitedHealthcare, but United is not the only payor to see profits rise as a result of delayed… Read More

Occasionally, insurers determine that they have overpaid providers for care given to their plan members. Sometimes providers determine they have been underpaid by payors for care given to plan members. With a… Read More

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and health systems have fully embraced their role in responding to the public health crisis, moving mountains to offer community testing services and providing care for patients… Read More

Despite having offered what it characterizes as “extensive” financial assistance to its policyholders throughout the pandemic, UnitedHealthcare’s profits remain substantial nine months into the country’s battle with COVID-19. The Los Angeles Times… Read More